and you know, i think every parent in america should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this. and that everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened. so i'm glad that not only is the justice department looking into it. i understand now that the governor of the state of florida has formed a task force to investigate what's taking place. i think all of us have to do some soul searching to figure out how does something like this happen. and that means that we examine the laws and the context for what happened. as well as the specifics of the incident. but my main message is to the parents of trayvon martin. you know, if i had a son, he

would look like trayvon. and, you know, i think they are right to expect that all of us as americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves, and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened. >> and, again, that was president obama speaking within the hour, just a short time ago. first time on the trayvon martin case. for reaction, i'm joined now by msnbc contributor in washington, "post" opinion writer, jonathan capeha capehart. this happened over the last hour, probably the most personal line from the president, saying if i had a son he would look just like trayvon. >> i was watching it live, listening to mike mike vick viqereis, listening to the officials down in sanford,

florida, quite frankly, was lacking. the president, you know, did not wade into the legal complexities, the nuances, or even the specifics of the stand your ground law or any of the legal questions down there, because, as he said, the leader of the executive branch and the justice department is investigating. but he took it to the 37,000 foot level by talking about it as a parent. and speaking as the, you know, number-one parent in america, the president of the united states. when he said, my message to trayvon's parents is this, and then saying if i had a son, he would look like trayvon, on twitter i'm hearing from people, i have the same exact reaction. it was -- it was something that hit you in the gut in a wonderful way. that the president of the united states is relating to not just trayvon's parents who are going through unbelievable agony right now, but to all parents who have sons, who have sons, who have

african-american sons, who just worry about their children and say to themselves, you know, there but for the grace of god go i. you know, it is a powerful moment for the president and for the country. >> jonathan, joining us now is germane lee, who covers issues impacting the black community for the "huffington post." jermaine, great to have you here. you are one of the journalists, one of the contributors to "the huffington post" that kept this story alive and bringing it the national attention we see now, and having the president speaking out this morning. what's your reaction to know that it has reached the president's attention, and we did have that moment this morning as jonathan saying personalizing that statement from the white house. >> i think the big story here is what a difference three weeks makes. three weeks ago, this was just the killing of another young black man. but now this case has elevated to the point where the president is speaking about it, and the pressure across the country, but also internationally on local officials, on this sanford

police department, on the justice department. it's just amazing how all of this pressure and this ground swell has the wheels turning now. it's simply amazing. >> jermaine, when we talk about the fact that the pressure is mounting still, 27 days and counting, the police chief has temporarily stepped aside, there is a new investigation into all of this. yet there is no determination of when potentially an arrest may come for george zimmerman. how long do you think it's going to take before somebody gets a common sense approach to this and says george zimmerman most likely needs to be arrested. maybe not charged, but arrested in this? >> of course, anything we would say at this point would be pure speculation, since he is still free. but as the justice department gets involved and the florida department of law enforcement, the state officials get involved, i have a feeling they're going to turn this department upside down. there have been cries from the community for a very long time that this police department has done some very bad things in the community. so i have a feeling that the

deeper that this investigation goes into the department, i'm sure some action will soon follow. >> all right, jermaine lee, jonathan capehart, i want you to stick around now, because beyond the president's words, there are key new developments this morning, we want to fill you in on. ron allen who joins me from sanford covers the latest for us. ron, i understand there is this new prosecutor that's been assigned, as i said a moment ago. the police chief stepped down temporarily with some other interims stepping in. bring us up to speed. >> reporter: well, before i get to that, thomas, let me tell you, we reached out to the martin family about the president's comments, and one of their spokespersons, someone very close to them, their initial reaction was to say something to the effect of, wow, that's very powerful. and -- there was a feeling of gratification that this had had happened. it's not something they have been looking for, necessarily, but you have to remember and understand the context, the emotional roller coaster that this family has been on for the past few weeks. last night when they were standing on that stage,

addressing a crowd of some 20 to 25,000 people who were there to support them, you could see how sa rena fulton in particular, trey vonn's mom, was just overcome by the moment. she could barely speak to the crowd. so i have to believe they're going to beel really -- they're going to feel very, very glad to hear from the president. and we're trying to get more reaction from them. as to the investigation, you're right. there have been some perhaps significant developments. there is a new prosecutor who has been named who will handle the grand jury criminal aspect of this matter. the current state attorney was asked to remove himself from the case by the governor. the governor has also appointed a task force based in the state capital that i understand is going to look primarily at this stand your ground law, how it's been applied in this case, and what changes if any need to be made and how all that needs to be handled. another thing that's happening, there are a number of state legislators here who are saying they're going to demand hearings in the state capitol about the

trayvon martin killing. and also, there's going to be a demand for hearings in congress next week by representatives from florida, as well. so a lot of investigations moving on a number of fronts. thomas? >> nbc's ronn allen for us, reporting from sanford, florida. as we mentioned before, 27 days -- 27 days since the death of trayvon martin, and a florida congress member has vowed to take that message to the house floor each day. the count that goes by without an arrest. saying this just yesterday. >> mr. speaker, yesterday i promised that every day i would come to the florida floor of this house and address america, just how long justice for trayvon martin has been delayed. as of today, trayvon martin was murdered 26 days ago, and still there has been no arrest. >> congressman fredrickaa wilson's district is sanford, florida. she also took the stage at the rally of thousands last night in sanford. and congresswoman wilson joins me now live from florida this

morning. representative, it's nice to have you with us this morning. as i know, you're very busy. but i want to start with the president's comments from the rose garden this morning. what's your reaction to the message he had to say today? >> i just feel so wonderful, overjoyed. and i know sa rena, trayvon's mother personally. she is my neighbor and friend in miami, florida. and i know how she felt when i called her. so i just can't imagine getting a call from the president of the united states nationally, calling to the nation, letting everyone know that he sends his sympathy to them. and i think that all people in america knows this is a model parent who understands the trauma that parents go through, and understands everyday life. he gets it. and i'm proud of him.

>> congresswoman, nbc's ron allen just briefing us about sanford and what's taken place there with the police chief on temporary leave, a new task force, prosecutor assigned to this case. these are all developments happening yesterday, overnight, basically. are they a step forward to award justice or are we not near action, basically saying we're not close enough to an arrest? >> well, in my estimation, for the police chief to say he's temporarily stepping down, it sounds as if he's saying i'm going to leave this messy made for someone else to clean up. and then after they clean it up, i'm going to come back to my job. i think he needs to be terminated. i think he needs to be fired. dismissed. because he evidently is not going to resign. and i think that that would give some calm and satisfaction to the people of sanford. i also think that when a person commits a crime, that they should be arrested.

and and i cannot in my mind fathom any reason why mr. zimmerman has not been arrested. i can't come up with one solution or -- there was a body, a homicide. and this gentleman is walking free with the same gun that he has a license to carry. and he has killed a child? he's not even been fingerprinted, arrested, even if he bonded out of jail, nothing like this has happened. this is -- it's unconscionable to me. >> there is a grand jury scheduled to convene on april the 10th. can sanford wait that long? >> that's too long. that's too long. they'll have to wait, but it's too long. and i'm just hoping, with all of the branches of government and with governor scott wading in, and with his new task force, that they will make the decision very quickly to say, first of all, let us arrest mr. zimmerman. and then let's proceed with the

task force. but he needs to be arrested. and he needs to be arrested for his own safety, also. >> congresswoman fredrickaa wilson, thank you for making time for us this morning. we do appreciate it. we want to bring back now msnbc contributor and "washington post" opinion rate writer jonathan capehart. jonathan, the congresswoman saying there, that the temporary leave of the police chief, bill lee jr. isn't enough. basically stepping aside, saying someone else needs to come in and clean up the mess he has created. and ironically enough, he was brought in to clean up the mess of somebody else. >> right. >> but what does it say to you? it's not just changing the faces at the top. isn't it about a culture from within the system there at sanford? >> right. remember, bill lee was brought in just ten months ago because his predecessor neglected to arrest the son of a police lieutenant who had beaten up a black homeless man there in sanford. and it was caught on videotape.

so even after the videotape was given to bill lee's predecessor, he didn't do anything. so now in comes bill lee, into a police department that appears to be, from everything that we have seen, a troubled agency. and for him to step aside, even temporarily, i think, is a good sign. it gets him out of the way. it gets someone else in there. but it's only the first -- the first of many steps that have to be taken, because as you said, you have to change the culture. and they're going to have to bring someone in permanently. a lot of people are saying that maybe the federal government should take over the police department, as it has done in other jurisdictions and larger just addictions in the past. that's something i think that the justice department as part of its parallel investigations with the state might be looking into. >> jermaine, i want to ask you as someone covering this from the beginning, can it wait until

april the 10th? >> from the community, no. as you said, i've been speaking with people for the past few weeks, and community leaders in the black community, especially, see that they have long been living you said under this long-cast shadow of racism. so for them, every day that goes by without an arrest is another slap in the face. they say that nothing matters but an arrest. at last night's rally, congresswoman corin brown said it doesn't matter who arrests george zimmerman, the federal government, the state government, the local police. but it needs to be done. so every are day this is just another cool reminder for the people of sanford that their lives aren't valued, and that justice for them is unbalanced. >> jonathan capehart, jermaine lee, thank you for joining us. vote for me, if not, just reelect president obama. his republican opponents are pouncing on that one. we'll have it for you. plus, cause of death revealed. it wasn't just drugs that killed

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to politics now and the comment that the romney campaign is focusing on, on the eve of the louisiana primary. it comes from rick santorum, who suggested, if he isn't the gop nominee, republicans should give president obama another term. >> you win by giving people the opportunity to see a different vision for our country, not someone who just going to be a little different than the person in there. if they're going to be a little different, we might as well stay with what we have instead of taking a risk of what may be the etch-a-sketch candidate for the future. >> romney responded, saying i was disappointed to hear that rick santorum would rather have barack obama as president than a republican. this election is more important than any one person. it is about the future of america, any of the republicans running would be better than president obama and his record

of failure. newt gingrich also responded to this. take a look. >> the danger is so great, i would hope that every candidate currently running, to ron paul to governor romney, would senator santorum, we would all agree that whoever becomes the republican nominee, we have one common goal, and is that is to defeat barack obama. >> joining me this morning, joe williams, white house reporter for politico, democratic strategist, janian and msnbc contributor susan del persio. susan, romney suggested he get out of the race. as senator, santorum continues to drag out this already expensive negative campaign. it is clear he is becoming the most valuable player on president obama's team. so is the race between romney and santorum, is this getting too bitter to actually be may the best man win? >> it is getting too bitter. and besides the fact that santorum is going to take this

beating, the other thing that's going to hurt him is fund-raising. republican donors do not want to see this type of statement being made. and not only that, when it comes to the super pacs where they really survive on it, that can even hurt him further. so he can find himself in a very precarious situation very quickly. >> so republicans like john mccain have come out and said nothing benefits president obama more than to see these two guys go at it. all four, really go at it, but the negative activity going back and forth. so good the re-election team for president obama just look at this and sit back and be like, go ahead, guys, carry those etch-a-sketches all around a. >> i'm sure they do. and rick santorum is in a different space. i think he's looking at 2016. i think he has taken himself out of the vice presidential sweep takes. i'm just going to go here and if i go down, i go down. i don't think the fund-raising is much of a concern for him. he's been outspent all throughout the primaries. >> joe, now we go back to louisiana ahead of the primary

tomorrow. who looks the best going in to louisiana? obviously, we've already been done with grits. now we move on to crawfish. >> crawfish and all of the other wonderful delicacies you can get down there. basically, this is almost the southern primary reducks where a couple tuesdays ago it was mississippi and alabama. louisiana close neighbor, heavily catholic. looks like this should be a pretty good space for rick santorum. he does well in the south, he does well among evangelicals, this state seems almost tailor-made for him. given this primary, anything can happen, but look for a santorum win, pretty significantly. and more questions about whether or not mitt romney is the guy to win south of the mason dixon line. >> another important development, susan, after meeting with the tea party favorite, demint stopped short of endorsing romney saying i can tell i'm not only comfortable with romney, i'm excited about the possibility of him possibly being our nominee. so if that's not an endorsement,

what is? >> well, it's kind of speaking in code. basically saying knock it off, everybody else. we've got to unite behind one person. he can't put his whole reputation as being a leader of the tea party movement behind romney, necessarily, because he's really not quite as conservative as his following would like for romney to be. so i think it's in code saying just knock it off, we've got to move forward. >> all right, so peter, remains hot out there that romney is also focusing his campaign in louisiana that just wrapped up on repealing president obama's health care law which the president signed exactly two years ago into law today. when we talk about the gop candidates all out there saying they are vowing to repeal this law, will the dominant message from the campaign or the trail be basically that the supreme court is going to be hearing arguments over whether or not it's constitutional, and just leave it at that? or do they really have to come out strong, saying what they're going to do, you know, mitt romney saying the day i get into office -- we're taking that off the books. >> i think what they're going to do is, they're going to focus on the supreme court, and they're going to focus on what the tea

party candidates ran on in 2010. and they're going to say, look, this is what we need to do. we need to reverse it. we need to end it. we need to modify it. and, yeah, i think they will -- they'll be very aggressive about it. the next week, there will be a lot of activity in d.c. >> joe, quickly, i want to get your opinion. the president spoke out in the last hour on trayvon martin. do you think we're going to hear anything from the campaign trail from mitt romney, rick santorum, addressing this now? >> it would be a complete shocker if we do. for them, even more so than president obama, there's nothing to gain and everything to lose, because the nra is a big backer of the law that -- at least in theory, enabled george zimmerman to do what he is alleged to have done. you don't want to get in dutch with those folks. never mind the fact that the law and order party seems to be the republican party. this is a law and order case. they see no benefit of weighing. >> susan, we have this note that

mitch mcconnell gave a statement after being asked about the stand your ground law, saying this is an incredible tragedy of huge proportions, didn't go any further than that. but did come on to show his common sense compassion about the loss of this child. >> which is what every nominee -- everyone who is running for president is going to have to do right now. they're not going to be able to duck it. this is a national or international news story at this point. they should have their answers ready. and, again, remember, this man, zimmerman, broke the law. he was chasing after this child. which does not work when you come into the stand your ground case. it's in defiance of stand your ground. >> all right. so thanks to our political power panel this morning. susan del percio, joe williams, thank you for joining thousand us. the shooter on the rampage expected to be charged for the killings, up to 17, not 16. plus, spring has sprung, but it's more like summer out there.

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children. and the afghans there in the villages were claiming 17. the problem here is that almost all of the bodies were buried immediately after the shootings. certainly within 24 hours, as is the muslim custom. so it is impossible for anybody to take an accurate head count. and it appears, although nobody has said it officially, it appears they have gone with 17 murder charges, just to err on the side of caution in this case. these are not the final charges. these are simply the initial preliminary charges, just to get on the record and be able to hold staff sergeant robert bales under these charges there at ft. leavenworth, kansas. i can tell you that we're not going to see the charge sheet today, probably. what we're going to see is a summary, a news release, of exactly what he is being charged with, with as of now, 17 counts

of murder, 6 counts of attempted murder and then some assault charges, derelicts of duty and the like. those charges will also be given to staff sergeant bales there at ft. leavenworth, kansas, as well as his defense attorneys, thomas. >> nbc's jim miklashevski. thank you so much, i appreciate it. president obama wades into the trayvon martin case, adding his own voice to this, and the growing chorus talking about the case itself. we'll bring you full details, next. [ tom ] we invented the turbine business right here in schenectady. without the stuff that we make here, you wouldn't be able to walk in your house and flip on your lights. [ brad ] at ge we build turbines that power the world. they go into power plants which take some form of energy, harness it, and turn it into more efficient electricity. [ ron ] when i was a kid i wanted to work with my hands, that was my thing. i really enjoy building turbines.

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♪ what started as a whisper every day, millions of people choose to do the right thing. there's an insurance company that does that, too. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? breaking news at the half hour. president obama making his first and very powerful remarks about the death of florida teen, trayvon martin. he had this to say just a short time ago. >> my main message is to the parents of trayvon martin. you know, if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. and, you know, i think they are right to expect that all of us

as americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves. >> with me now is nbc's white house correspondent mike viqueira, the reporter who asked president obama the question about this case at that rose garden announcement just a short time ago. mike, we were talking between my show team this morning about whether or not vice president joe biden who is going to be appearing in florida today talking to seniors, if he would get asked about trayvon martin, since he's physically in the state of florida. has there been a lot of talk between people at the white house of when the president was going to go on record with this? >> reporter: you know, we just came from the president's two-day energy tour, and frankly, no. the focus was on the price of gas and the trayvon martin case, while people are literally marching in the street was not something that was on the front burner over the course of the last two days. clearly, the president in this event wanted to talk about this. the president doesn't obvious stop -- people like me are often shouting questions at him after rose garden evenlts on a completely unrelated topic.

we should mention the president was there with his nominee, dr. jim yong kim, the president of dartmouth college as his nominee for the world bank, a nominee he had to put forward by the end of day because it was the deadline. but to be stopped by the treasury and secretary of state, hillary clinton and answer that question in the personal terms that the president used -- if i had a son, he would look like trayvon. you know, people are going to be interpreting what that exactly means over the course of the next hours and days. but certainly -- and invoking his own daughters in the answer. certainly the president -- this is something that the president wanted to talk about today. >> nbc's mike viqueira at the white house for us this morning. thanks so much. appreciate it. joining me now, live, from phoenix is democratic congresswoman barbara lee, who is from california, but a member of the congressional black caucus. congresswoman, good to have you here this morning, as we have been talking about over this half hour or over this hour. the last hour, we heard those remarkable words from the president. did you expect to hear from the

president to talk about the trayvon martin case? what's your reaction? >> certainly. this is a tragedy that has pricked the conscience of our nation. this young teenager was gunned down because of how he looked, because of the color of his skin. we as parents, as african-american parents, especially -- i raised two sons. and i am very pleased that the president talked about this in a very personal way. the reality of raising young black boys in america is very clear. it is very different for us. and, in fact, we need to see justice in this case immediately. here we have now the alleged assailant walking free. he should be arrested. i'm very pleased again that the president called our nation to do some soul-searching. because this is the moment that we have to do this. this young man is dead. he was killed. and this is a tragedy, once

again, that our entire country needs to come to grips with. we need to do some soul searching. i'm very pleased that next week the congressional black caucus is calling for hearings and briefings. we have called for, along with the congressional hispanic caucus and the asian-pacific american caucus and the progressive caucus to come to grips with a full investigation to request this investigation. again, we're pleased that the attorney general and justice department is conducting this investigation. but the country, i think, has to come to grips with what has taken place, when you have this toxic mixture of racial profiling, of gun -- the gun lo lobby, which is oh so powerful, and with our young black african-american males. and once again, as a mother and as a grandmother, my thoughts and my prayers go out to trayvon's family. this is a tragedy that all of us as a nation must come to grips with. and to really use this moment to

begin to look at these laws and, furthermore, to look at how we really address racial profiling in our country. >> congresswoman, even with all this talk, the media attention, the president even talking about this now, we have a long way to go in this country when it comes to breaking stereotypes. and in your estimation, the fact that there hasn't been an arrest yet, are we still just in limbo about breaking the stereotype when it comes to this specific case? >> this is outrageous that this individual has not been arrested. these stand your ground laws are outrageous. i mean, how in the world is someone walking around who allegedly shot and killed a young teenager, unprovoked? i mean, this young kid, this young african-american teenager, was walking down the street. this young african-american teenager was shot and killed because of the color of his skin, and because of what he

looked like. this is wrong. it is a moral disgrace. these laws need to be looked at. and, once again, the federal government has got to get in and conduct a thorough investigation. look at it as a hate crime. and really, provide some justice for the -- for trayvon's family, for the sanford community. and let me tell you, sanford could be anywhere in america. this is not -- you know, it could be anywhere. it happens in my community, in oakland, california. you know, young african-american males, unfortunately, are targeted. once again, as a mother who raised two young black boys, as a grandmother, there are so many parents, men and women, around our country, who raise their children with this reality. that's wrong. this is america. we need some justice in this case, but we need some justice throughout our country as it relates to, you know, the rights of innocent people to be able to

live without worrying about being gunned down. >> congresswoman barbara lee, thanks for your time today. i appreciate it. >> thank you. a top aide to former congresswoman gabrielle giffords is making a run to succeed the arizona democrat. ron barber was shot in the face that left giffords with a gunshot wound to the head. giffords resigned to focus on her full recovery, and barber says he'll run to fill out the remainder of his former boss's term. he is also running again in august for his own term. and i'm joined now by ron barber. sir, it's nice to have you on with us this morning. and i know that there is a lot to talk about here. but i want to focus specifically on how much does winning this election mean to you, given how closely you worked alongside gabrielle giffords? >> well, it mostly means a lot to me, because i really feel i'm here and trying to serve the people of southern arizona. congresswoman is someone i respect and who inspires me and

many other people in our country. but i think the important thing to note is that while we all dearly love her and what she has done for our community, this is not her seat, this is the people's seat. and i went to present myself as a candidate who can take the issues that are concerning middle class in our community to washington and fight hard for them. along with veterans and seniors. those are the important groups and issues that i want to fight for. and if the people of southern arizona believe i can do that, and i hope they will, then they'll hire me for this job. >> mr. barber, if you hadn't gone through this with gabrielle giffords, if you hadn't gone through this tragedy that that community and the country suffered, do you think you would have ever thrown your hat into the political arena in such a time like now? >> well, i think the circumstances that came out of january 8th changed a lot of lives. we lost six good people. some of them were friends of mine, and one of them was my

closest colleague at the office. gabe zimmerman. the congresswoman's political career, at least for now, has been disrupted. we lost really good people. 13 people were injured, and are still recovering. so that's really, i think, a change -- game changer for a lot of us. i've talked to all of the other survivors, and everyone is taking a look at their lives differently now. second chance has been given to each of us. so as i look forward, and as i was lying in the icu bed with my family around me, i determined that what i wanted to do as a result of this tragedy was to do more to serve the community. the opportunity to serve in congress presented itself, unexpectedly, when the congresswoman resigned. i had to think about it. i'm not a politician, never intended to run for office. but i really felt compelled to do so after so many southern arizonas said to me, republicans and democrats alike, we really think you should do this. you've got the experience, you've worked in the district. and we really think you should do it. and then a process of discussion

with my family and my doctor took place, and finally, obviously, i decided i could do it. and wanted to do it. and that's why i'm running. >> ron barber, former aide to gabby giffords, who is now running to replace her in her vacated congressional seat. sir, thanks for your time this morning. i appreciate it. >> thank you very much for your time too. >> absolutely. >> all right. so now we move on to some numbers that really might surprise you or maybe not. we're just three days into spring, but it's already feeling like summer out there, temperatures really heating up around the country, with over 5,000 records broken in just the past ten days. yesterday, some of the chart-toppers included boston, portland, providence and madison. [ male announcer ] this is coach parker... whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ i worked at the colorado springs mail processing plant for 22 years. we processed on a given day about a million pieces of mail.

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welcome back, everybody. after weeks of speculation, we now know officially what killed pop superstar whitney houston on the eve of the grammys. the los angeles coroner says houston ultimately drown in her hotel bathroom tub but cocaine use and heart disease also contributed to her death.

nbc's craig melvin is live outside the beverly hilton hotel where whitney had her last moments. what are we hearing officially? >> reporter: there were a number of drugs found in the 48-year-old's body. let's show a list of the drugs. flexeril, the muscle relaxer. there was also marijuana. xanax, the anti-anxiety drug. benadryl, as well also found in whitney houston's bloodstream, well. but the coroner yesterday said despite the drugs being in her system, it was heart disease and cocaine that killed her. we also learned that her arteries were about 60% blocked. when she drowned in the bathtub behind me, the accidental drowning, we found out yesterday she was alive when she hit the water. there was some sort of cardiac event. it was exacerbated by cocaine use. cocaine we're use, we're told, according to the coroner yesterday, cocaine used shortly before she got into the tub.

also, the coroner confirming what many suspected and what many feared as well yesterday. that whitney houston was a chronic cocaine user, as well, thomas. >> craig, is the family reacting to the public notification of the coroner's findings? >> reporter: yeah. we did get a statement yesterday from pat houston, the sister-in-law of whitney houston, also her former manager, as well. very short statement. all they said was they were saddened to hear the results of the toxicology report, but they were pleased to have finally gotten some closure. >> craig melvin joining us from los angeles. craig, thanks so much. appreciate it. we turn now to what is expected to be a huge movie. the movie industry's big phenom. and we're talking about "the hunger games," because people packed movie theatres across the country at the highly anticipated film's opening. basically, at midnight last night. because they could go and get them through an online retailer, fandango, saying it's selling tickets every second with 2,500 screenings already sold out. but here is a peek at the

apocalyptic film that should shatter box office records. >> this is the time to show everything. make sure they remember you. >> i just keep wishing i could think of a way to show them that they don't own me. if i'm gonna die, i want to still be me. >> i just can't afford to think like that. >> nbc's gabe gutierrez joins us live from the big apple. gabe, explain to the dozen or so people armed around the country that don't know this was a book and now it's made it to the big screen. but give us the synopsis of what the film is about. >> good morning, thomas. in a nutshell, this film is about a post apocalyptic world where 24 teenagers battle to the death. fans say it is much more nuance, that there is romance and revolution and they say the story just pulls you in. and we spoke with them just a little while ago. >> i think i just like it because of the adventure. it's just like -- it's scary,

and sometimes it's like a love story. and it's just really interesting. >> the books were great. i read all three within a month, maybe. >> uh-huh. >> and i'm just excited for the movie. >> i read all three books after my friends told me about them and i loved them. loved the story, loved the characters. so i wanted to see if the books are going to be like the movie. >> now, some critics worry there is just too much violence in this film. after all, the plot involves teenagers killing other teenagers. but despite that, it's rated pg-13. >> yeah, that's drawing a lot of attention, the correlation to the movie "bully" that got an r-rating, so wondering how they got the pg-13. but real quickly, what's the reviews? people lying it when they're walking out? >> it seems a lot of people are liking this film. we're still waiting to get a reaction from people who went into the 10:00 showing here. but overnight, many fans were very excited to see it. and they say that it did live up to the hype, that it it did live up to the hype, that it did

match the books. now it's just wait and see whether the it lives up to hollywood's expectations. >> gabe gutierrez, thanks so much. appreciate it. 27 days and counting. a crowd of more than 20,000 people calling for justice for trayvon martin and the arrest of a killer. then, president obama weighing in for the first time about the trayvon martin case from the white house. melissa harris perry joins me next to sound off. americans are always ready to work hard for a better future. since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future.

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all right. so it's been 27 days since george zimmerman shot the unarmed 17-year-old trayvon martin in a florida gated community. there are no less than three investigations going on and zimmerman remains a free man. melissa harris-perry is the host of melissa harris perry on msnbc and making a statement joining

me with her hoodie on. we've got to say people over there, not going to name names, people wondering who the heck was sitting with me. they could see it will from behind and said who's on set. >> let's talk about the president addressing this specifically. and saying if i had a son, he would look just like trayvon. how does this change the conversation as we move forward to find justice for this child? >> my biggest concern is the way it might change the conversation into a more politicized one. as important as this is in terms of public policy around the stand your ground law and the politics of whether or not the justice department actually has the basis for moving in on this, i'm worried if this becomes a partisan politics issue because it should not be. >> as we see what's taking place in florida with a rally last night, people marching on tallahassee today, school kidsing out of schools today in support of justice for trayvon, still george zimmerman remains

free. >> yeah. >> this will not end well for this guy. this is not going to end well for this guy because if he remains free, he's in danger. the police department looks inept. and the family and the rallying cries are going to get louder. >> right. i think part of what we have to be really clear about, obviously everyone thinks the system of american justice should take place. he has a presumption of innocence, the right to an attorney. the right to not self-incriminate. all of those things. but the issue is he's not even been arrested. certainly for those of us watching the evidence and the preupon rans of it we're getting in the news media feel like there is certainly enough information in this case to suggest that stand your ground may not be an appropriate statute under which this individual should not be free and not be not arrested. >> it's good to have you here. just arrived getting off a plane to join us. melissa harris perry. you can watch her every weekend from 10:00 a.m. to noon eastern right here on msnbc. thanks for joining me this week.

have a great weekends everybody. i'm filling in for tram ron on "news nation." you can always follow me on twitter @thomas a. roberts. don't go anywhere. alex wagner is ready to bring you her panel now on the show straight ahead. eeze from a crow. you're probably muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. zyrtec®. love the air. on the first day you take it. when it comes to paint... ...there's one brand that always tops the charts. so let's grab a few of those gallons- at a price that's now even lower. 'cause when we mix behr ultra paint and primer in one... ...with a few hours... ...we get more than just color... ...we get top-rated coverage. the kind wakes up walls, and reinvents rooms.

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